Heat is lost in homes and other buildings through air infiltration. When discussing air infiltration and energy savings, it is actually a substantial portion of treated air in homes and buildings that is often wasted. Treated air is air that is heated or cooled by various heating units or air conditioners used in homes and buildings, and air that is humidified or dehumidified by humidifiers or dehumidifiers. Due to the ever increasing cost of energy, this substantial portion of treated air which is wasted is having a larger and larger economic impact on homeowners and building owners. An important source of heating energy loss in conventional building structures is air infiltration through gaps and cracks in walls and in construction surrounding windows and doors. It has been empirically established that approximately 6% of all air infiltration in residential buildings is attributable to losses through electrical outlets installed on the inside of exterior walls. The main route for infiltration through the insulated stud cavity area of exterior walls is through electrical outlets. Electrical outlets, including the electrical boxes in which they are disposed, comprise a gap in the insulation system of conventional buildings through which cold air is readily admitted into the structure and heated air is readily lost from the building. Furthermore, these outlets form a path for large heat conduction losses through the wall and a means through which moisture may permeate into wall insulation materials. There is a logical need to improve the thermal efficiency of residential buildings and save energy through such electrical outlets.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, up to 40% of a home's heat loss can result from air infiltration and a major offender is electrical outlets that are inside of exterior walls. These outlets can simply be described as holes in these walls where there is a sizable gap in the insulation through which heated air is readily lost at the same time as cold air is infiltrating the same opening. These gaps can be found in insulation at the top plate of the wall and around the electric box where the outlet is mounted. These are hard area to insulate become raceways for cold air and warm air to transition. This is a year round problem as during the winter the heated air escapes while the cold outside air enters and during the summer the cold air-conditioned air escapes while the hot summer air invades people's homes.
Analysis by a NYSERDA sponsored study has demonstrated that the heating energy penalty due to air infiltration is an order of magnitude greater than the penalty due to thermal bridging as in R factor.
The present invention provides a simple, safe and affordable outlet cover to prevent heat energy losses by air infiltration through electrical outlets.